Reclosable packaging is particularly suited for packaging of food products when it is desired to repeatedly remove relatively small quantities of the food product. Such food products include cereals, rice, candies, and the like, and may also include meat food products, such as chicken, frankfurters, sliced meats, etc. While the use of reclosable flexible bags having twist-tie wire fasteners or plastic clasps has long been known, recent advents in reclosable packaging have included configuring packages to have integral zipper-type fastener assemblies, including interlocking profile strips. In such arrangements, the package is typically opened by cutting or tearing a portion of the package to gain access to the fastener assembly, with opening and closing of the profile strips of the fastener assembly thereafter permitting the package to be selectively opened and closed.
While packages having integrated profile strip fastener assemblies are becoming common in the marketplace, heretofore, such arrangements have typically require specialized packaging machinery for forming and filling such packages. Significantly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,845 discloses a reclosable package, and method of formation, which is specifically configured to facilitate use on conventional, so-called form, fill, and seal machinery. This type of machinery forms and fills packages with food product (or other articles) by forming a package from a web of plastic material or the like, and substantially simultaneously filling and sealing the package. The package disclosed in the above-referenced patent includes a profile strip fastener assembly which is configured such that a plurality of fastener assemblies can be provided on a substantially continuous web of package-forming material, with the web then stored in rolled or fan-folded form prior to use. The web of packaging material can then be supplied to a conventional form, fill, and seal machine, with the machine operated in a generally conventional manner to package the product as desired. By the provision of the profile strip fastener assembly in the front wall portion of the package, convenient reclosability of the package is provided without resort to twist-tie fasteners, plastic clasps, or the like. The above-referenced patent is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention contemplates a reclosable package in the form of a bag which is configured for use with conventional form, fill and seal machinery, while providing enhanced sealed integrity for the package as well as tamper-evidence of opening.